Worship Programs

Theme:

"Kingdom Power"

Fourth Sunday in Advent -

Sermon Outline

‘I AM WITH YOU - ALWAYS!’

Luke 2: 8-16

Sometimes, oftentimes, even at Christmastime, we feel as though we are a long way off from the ideal of “peace on earth, good will toward men.”  The news of the day tends to turn good cheer into gloom, and even the song of the angels sounds off-key.  The stillness of the little town of Bethlehem is shattered by car bombs.  Insane terrorists who fly aircraft into buildings hijack the “friendly skies”.  Little wonder that some say, “I just can’t seem to get into the holiday season this year.”

It’s time for a reality check.  The Christmas story never has been about mindless cheer and making merry.  According to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the birth of the Son of God was set in a prevailing climate of fear and anxiety.  And that holy night soon was followed by the slaughter of innocents at the behest of a terrorist.  The Nativity didn’t take place in some kind of fairytale fantasyland.  It happened in a world where bad things can happen and usually do.

1.  REACTION

“An angel of the Lord appeared to them . . . and they were terrified.”  Get the picture: lowly shepherds - ordinary folk - confronted by the angel of the Lord.  They were in the presence of God!  They were surrounded by the glory of the Lord!  And, not surprisingly, they were startled!  “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of the great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.’” 

“Don’t be afraid,” the announcing angel said.  But that’s easier said then done.  Joseph and Mary couldn’t altogether see the end from the beginning.  They had packed up and moved out in response to Caesar’s decree.  They were far from home and familiar surroundings when Mary gave birth.  Not only was there no room in the inn to accommodate the Son of God, there was no place in the palace of the emperor.  According to Matthew’s Gospel, King Herod felt so threatened and uneasy that he ordered the massacre of all newborn boy babies.  Somehow, Joseph and Mary were able to flee to a foreign country with their little one.  Other fathers were unable to save their sons, and mothers must have screamed in anguish as their little boys were slaughtered. 

All these years later, whether in Tel Aviv, Oklahoma City or New York City, such heartless carnage continues.  But somewhere in that story and in its sordid sequels, a light still shines.  A child is born!  And God says to the whole world, and to each of us, “I am with you!  I haven’t given up on you.  Trust Me, I haven’t given up on you.  I am with you even when it seems the night of despair will never end; even when your heart is aching with anguish.  I am with you!” 

2.  REASSURANCE

The appearance of God’s messenger filled the shepherds with fear.  But the glad gospel of Christmas dispelled their fear and filled them with assurance and hope.  It’s the same message for us today.  A Savior is born!  A Savior who forgives our sin.  A Savior who opens to us a new way of living.  A Savior who strengthens and guides us, who brings meaning and purpose into our lives.  A Savior who releases us from fear and uncertainty.  “I have come,” said Jesus, “that (you) might have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

Are you ever the victim of fear and uncertainty?  Perhaps the worst kind of fear is a sense of nameless dread, of impending doom, and you can’t deal with it because you can’t identify it.  Here is more good news from God’s word: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV).

Those lowly shepherds, ordinary folk, acted on what they had heard.  They responded to the announcement.  Just the knowledge of the birth of the Savior was not enough for them.  They could not go back to business as usual after hearing the message of the angel of the Lord.  They never would be the same again.  Their response was immediate!  The Bible tells us that “they hurried off.”

They didn’t stop to ask questions.  They were fully convinced, and they acted upon the message. 

3.  REALIZATION

The shepherds hurried to the village of Bethlehem “and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.”  God rewarded them with the realization of their faith, for they had seen the Messiah, the One who had come to be their Savior.

The Christ of Christmas is known as Immanuel, which means “God with us.”  He who lived so comfortably in heaven, coequal with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, willingly entered our world. He breathed the air we breathe.  He felt the pain we feel.  He shared our heartaches and died for our sins.  He came not to alarm us.  He came to show us the way to freedom and security, to spiritual health and well-being.

That Baby Boy of Bethlehem grew to manhood and echoed His Father’s promise.  Do you remember what He said to His followers, and to us, as He faced a cruel death, a tortured demise?  He said, “. . . He who stands firm to the end will be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:13,14).  Following His death and resurrection, He said to His followers, “And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19).